On the Newsstands June 16, 2008

Art: "Sorry, Just Any Old Brush Won't Do" by Gaynell Parker

Okay. I mentioned that I would discuss paint brushes today. How many of you have even looked at paint brushes? That's what I thought. I'm not talking about the cheap things you buy for your kids to do the little water paint pictures with, I'm talking quality brushes that are going to last for a long time.

I'm the queen of cheap, honest. It drives my hubby to distraction. He's told me several times in our marriage that one pair of expensive shoes will last three times longer than three pairs of cheap shoes. What he didn't understand is that I like more variety than that -- except when it comes to my painting supplies. -- Read More

Books: "Please, no zits! Anne Bradshaw" by Alison Palmer

Want a reminder that we are a world wide church with youth that struggle, no matter where they live? Then pick up Please, No Zits by Anne Bradshaw it covers the problems of the average teenager and those that are down right scary.


Okay. For me personally, the name and cover aren’t really to my taste but I’m not that young anymore, thank goodness. I asked one of my own teenage girls what she thought of it and she reported that the cover was too busy for her and didn’t really tell her what to expect from the book. -- Read More

Home and Family: "Clans" by Muriel Sluyter

Back in Scottish/English history, the never-ending raids over the Border, from first one side and then the other, finally culminated in the Battle of Culloden. The English won and, being in power, decided to put a stop once and for all to the fighting. Now, Scotland had a system of Clans which kept families firmly organized and fighting as a unit.

The English, understanding the strength and power which came from the tight, loyal families, took drastic measures to rip the Clans apart. The plaid, the Clan's tartan, could no longer be worn, and the wearing of kilts was outlawed because kilts were made of the individual Clan's tartan. The Scots didn't have to ask which Clan a person belonged to; the tartan was adequate identification. -- Read More

Jewelry: "The Art of Egyptian Style" by Nichole Giles

Cro-Magnon jewelry, which was generally made from bone, rock, and shells. That’s all good and fine for the people who lived 100,000 years ago—I’m just glad to know that people from that time had many of the same impulses that we have today. But the real stuff, the good stuff—which was established and manufactured—started in Egypt, sometime around 3,000-5,000 years ago. By that period of time, jewelry was being made in large workshops attached to temples or palaces, and was commonly worn as a symbol of wealth and religious power within a community.

Interestingly, the people who wore these expensive pieces in life also wore them in death. Burial practices during that time required offerings to the Gods, also known as grave goods, which included jewelry. -- Read More

LDS Department Store/Gardening & Landscaping: "Landscape Plan Part 3: Other Considerations" by Heather Justesen

So you have a good idea of what you want to do with your yard, or that trouble spot in your yard—time to start digging, right? Wrong. Before you get the shovel out there are a few caveats you need to consider. What kind of soil do you have? Is it heavy clay, super sandy, filled with rocks, or—as one of my writing friends said about hers—a few inches of soil on top of a lava flow? When you water, where does the water go? Does it puddle up and is it going to end up in your basement (if you have one)?

My ground is very clay, which means digging when the ground is dry is nearly impossible. I’ve found the best way to dig holes is to get it really wet one day, let it dry for part of a day so it’s not slick mess, then dig, because the clay retains moisture really well. It also is very full of nutrients. Unfortunately, it’s a pain for roots to work through and it puddles really easily because it takes a long time for water to soak in. The other difficulty I had with my yard was the rocks. -- Read More

LDS Department Store/Preparedness: "A Few Things to Add to Your Preparedness List" by Barbara Salsbury

Has the onslaught of severe storms affecting many parts of the world lately made you think twice? What has the Doplar Weather Radar been predicting for your neighborhood? Perhaps you have recently been prepared to get through a short-term emergency but have already had to use most of the supplies that you had on hand. Are you breathing a sigh of relief because you made it through … this one? Don’t allow complacency or careless forgetfulness to deter your consistent action plans.

This year Mother Nature is not alone as she lurks around the corner waiting for us to relax. Her companions are the twins “Les Power” and “Les Fuel”. -- Read More

LDS Outlets/Dutch Oven: "The Musical Sound of Sizzle" by Keith Fisher

How could I resist? It was big and shiny, and it pulled me down, down, toward . . .

I exercise a ritual every spring—perhaps you do the same. I head to the home improvement store to pick up sprinkler parts. I also check out, (covet rather) the collection of new barbecues.

The store displays thousands of the little beasties, chained together to keep them under control. There are no gags on their mouths, however, so the units call out as they lie in wait for me. -- Read More

LDS Outlets/Humor: "That's One Heavy Horse" by C.L. Beck

As a kid, I always wanted a horse. However, when you live on a lot the size of a Kleenex, in the suburbs of Washington D. C., the neighbors don’t take kindly to the fragrance of road apples.

The dream never died and when we moved to Utah, the hunt was on. Our son had never ridden, so a calm, gentle horse was a must. When we explained that to the owner we visited, his family exclaimed in unison, “Spooky!” It was a weird thing to say—as far as I knew, we didn’t look like Lily and Herman Munster. When I realized ‘Spooky’ was the name of their horse, it should have been a clue to the animal’s personality. But I figured maybe they’d named her that because she was born on Halloween. -- Read More

Missionary: "Eternal Perspective" by Rebecca Talley

Recently, I received an e-mail with several photos of people “holding the sun.” Each photo showed someone with the sun in their hands, between their knees, or on top of their nose. Of course, we can’t hold the sun because, among other things, it’s far too large. But, from the perspective of these photos, it appeared that people were actually doing just that.

Objects in the foreground always look larger than what is in the background. A six-foot tree may look as though it looms over mountains in the distance, depending on your perspective. A telephone pole a few feet away may appear much taller than one a mile down the road, even though they are both the same height. -- Read More

New Neighbors: "Cow Camping Adventure" by Cheri Crane

The following lyrics (sung to the tune of "Home on the Range") pretty much sum up the camping trip my husband and I embarked upon this past week:

1st: Oh, give me a camp
Where the cow people vamp
Where they frolic wherever they roam
They run through amuck
Ignoring our truck
Making our campsite their home. -- Read More

Scrapbooking: "5 Tips to Better Photos" by Kim Thompson

Do you want to take better photographs? There are simple ways to make photos more engaging. I recently read an amazing book, Photography for Scrapbookers, by Tracy White. She presented 5 tips for better photos:

1- Pick up your camera, hold it to your eye and look around. What do you see? Are there toys on the ground? Are you cropping your husband’s head off as you focus on your little one? Now move the camera around so you eliminate those distractions. -- Read More

Services: "Wayjay Says Goodbye" by Liz Adair

We had family here over the weekend. Lots of family. It used to be no big deal, when we had a big old farmhouse with lots of bedrooms, three sitting rooms, and a barn. That was before The Big Downsize when we sold the farm and moved to town.

However, we managed to find a place for everyone to be more or less horizontal at night, and I cooked for everyone in my postage stamp kitchen. I had forgotten what it was like to be mother to that big a brood: how many dishes get dirtied, how much food has to be prepared, how many dirty clothes there are to wash, how messy the house gets. -- Read More

Sports & Recreation/Movies: "Jack Black and Kung Fu Panda" by Linda Scanlan

What do you get when two satellite engineers meet? It's impossible to see the end result.

Jack Black was the literal result of two satellite engineers, marrying and having a child. For those of you who regularly watch Black's movies, we are talking about Hubble satellite technology and not dish satellite technology.

Jack Black has made "title" waves at the box office with films such as "Nacho Libre", "School of Rock" and "Shallow Hal". His newest release "Kung Fu Panda" has been talked about in my household for the past two months ever since my children (all teens and older) saw the previews in theater. -- Read More

Sports & Recreation: "The Love of a Father" by Steve Christensen

Every so often you hear or read a story that makes you feel good inside and may even bring tears to your eyes. I came across such a story a few months ago. It is a story of a father who gave something to his son that was very special. His son was disabled at birth being strangled by the umbilical cord. His name is Rick Hoyt and his father’s name is Dick Hoyt. You may have already heard this story or seen the video on YouTube, but I was able to do a little research on this man and his son and found some other very interesting details that you might not be aware of.

When Dick first took his son Rick for a run, by pushing him in his wheelchair, he was sore for weeks. But then Rick typed “Dad, when we were running, I felt like I wasn’t disabled anymore”. -- Read More

Weddings: "Cowboy Up and Be a Man" by Muriel Sluyter

To fathers, wherever you may be: You are your daughters’ prototype of Heavenly Father and our Savior. They cannot see the Savior, but they can see you. They will judge Him by your actions, by your integrity, by your very character. If you fail them and Him, they will fail both you and Him. That is, admittedly, a heavy load, in fact, a heavy eternal assignment, but it is the assignment you shouldered the day you became the father of a brand new little girl. Your task? Don’t moan. Don’t cry or try to escape your responsibility. Just cowboy-up and be a real man. Get the job done! Be your little girls’ example of what they can expect from their loving Savior, Who actually will require much of them during their mortal life. -- Read More


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